Conversations over Cardboard Boxes
by A Hopeless Romantic
Summary: Josh and Lucas talk while packing kitchenware. Mainly about the tie-that-binds them - Maya Hart. (Minor one-sided Lucaya and one-sided Joshaya)


**Hey everyone! This is something that jumped around in my head for a while and had to be put in to words. Its an interesting scene that I haven't seen before in GMW fanfiction. Hope you all like it. Please review and let me know what you thinks.**

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Sea-foam green eyes met earthy brown across the room. There was a palpable silence and awkward tension in the air. Then...

"Uhhh, how did you get in here?" Joshua Matthews asked the tall Texan boy before him.

Lucas blinked out of confusion trying to remember where he was and what he was tasked with. "Oh, Mr Matthews asked me to help out setting up with the bake sale they were having outside 'Topanga's'." He lifted his hand off the door knob and hesitantly made his way deeper into the living room. Boxes labeled 'Bakeware' were scattered over the couch and kitchen, and in the center of the mess was young Josh Matthews, attempting to sort through it all.

"Ah, guess big bro doesn't think I can sort and carry all these boxes by my self. Well I'll show him!" Josh fumes, eyes glinting with determination. Lucas watches amused, when seconds later the elder boy's face crumbles into a look of panic and desperation as falls to his knees and grabs Lucas' arm. "Oh, who am I kidding. I'm not made for manual labor. Please, you gotta help me!" he beseeches.

Lucas smirks and help Josh up the floor "Course I will. I told Mr and Mrs Matthews I would."

Josh looks him up and down as if trying to size him up before he goes back to sorting through the boxes. "You realize you can call them Cory and Topanga, right?" he questions the younger boy.

Lucas looks horrified for a moment before shaking his head from side to side, "No,no,no. Mama would definitely put me in the shed for that" he shuddered.

Chuckles erupted from the Matthews and he smiled to himself. "Well, thanks for helping, uhh..." he frowned all of a sudden realizing that calling the other boy 'Mr Howdy' wasn't the best choice.

"Lucas, Lucas Friar" was his response as they got back to sorting through the living area. Pulling out a 64 cup muffin tray, Lucas attempted to make small talk. "So how's NYU going? You like it there?"

Josh tossed a spatula behind him, wincing as it knocked something over. "I love it. It's everything I hoped it would be. Lot of work though." He turned to the Texan, "You thinking of going to NYU?"

"You think I could get in?" Lucas looked up.

Josh shrugged offhandedly, "How are your grades? Your grades now will probably carry forward into high school, and if you do a bunch of extra curriculars you should do fine."

"I do alright, I guess."Lucas said, modesty taking over. A good Texan boy knows how to be humble. "I have a decent amount of A's and a couple of B's"

Josh nods at him before looking back into the box in front of him. "You, Riley and turtleneck boy should be a shoo-in then." He cranes his neck downwards, digging deeper into the box so he misses the frown that darkens Lucas' face and fails to see the rigidity in his posture.

"You don't think Maya can get in?" The question cuts through the air and even with his head completely in the box, Josh hears something off in the lower, softer tone of voice. He slowly rises up til he's standing straight up, looking the young Friar dead in the eye.

"I didn't mean anything by it, Lucas. It's just that college is difficult and takes a LOT of hard work. And Maya Hart isn't known for putting hard work into school. I've seen her grades" He watches carefully as Lucas' jaw clenches slightly and his eyebrows turn upwards. The younger one closes his eyes and breathes in lightly and when he opens his eyes, they seem clearer and his facial muscles are more relaxed.

Lucas looks Josh straight in the eyes and speaks his mind. "Maya can do anything she wants to," he say softly but firmly with conviction, " especially if she has her mind set on it. If she wants to go to NYU, then she WILL go there, with all the grade and extra curricular requirements." He feels the need to add more, to put it over the top. "Plus," he adds "NYU is one of the best Fine Arts universities in the country, and Maya is one of the best artists I know of. The second she even submits a portfolio, she's in."

Josh watches quietly as the other boy takes a slight breath and blinks a few times, like hes not sure if he should be ashamed of his outburst or proud. The Matthews gives him a minute to gather his thoughts before noting, "You hold her in quite a high regard, huh?" Lucas turns back to the boxes they were working through before shrugging. Josh tries not to notice the red flush creeping up the young boys neck.

A couple minutes tick by with only the scraping of metal pans in cardboard boxes and clinking of glass bowls to offset the deafening silence. Eventually burning questions and awkward shuffling gets to be too much for Josh and he blurts out, "Aren't you dating my niece?"

Lucas' head whips round and stares at the Matthews before focusing his eyes on anywhere but the elder boys face. "Umm, no... not exactly. We broke up, or were never really dating." his hands are flying all over the place as if hand motions might explain the situation better. "We're not together... but we're not NOT together either, if that make sense." Josh decides immediately that it does not.

"We decided to just remain friends." Lucas finally finishes, hands falling to his sides.

Josh shakes his head in frustration because how can a bunch of kids be this troublesome. He hopes he wasn't that bad when he was younger, perhaps he'll ask Cory. "Look kid, Riley is my niece and as much as I love her to bits, she can be a bit naive and insecure. So this thing you have with her, whatever it is, isn't totally over yet. And you can't be having feelings for someone else while that's happening!" the volume of his voice is rising as frustration give in to anger.

Lucas backs up, hands outstretched shaking his head side to side. "No, no, no. It's not like that."

"Do you have feelings for Riley?" Josh demands, fingers pointing threateningly.

Lucas stops and hesitates before looking back up at the college student. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to feel." he mumbles unsurely. "I think I do"

Josh crosses his arms and frowns. "Well I KNOW you have feelings for Maya. That much is certain. You're gonna have to figure out what those feelings are, however, before you go ahead and act on them." He crosses the room completely to stand in front of Lucas. His eyes glint harshly and harden in conviction. "Because Maya doesn't deserve someone who will only give her part of his heart and half of his time."

Lucas stares for a second before whispering. "She deserves everything. She deserves someone who wants to give her everything." Both boys stare at the ground for a second before Josh turns away. As he steps back to the couch Lucas asks, "Is that why you keep turning her down?"

Josh looks back at him with a sad smile. "Three years difference. It's not just the age. It also means that I would never be able to give her the time she needs or deserves. It means that when she wants to celebrate high school Senior year, I'm neck deep in Junior level college classes. It means when she wants to enjoy her first year at college, I'll be pulling all-nighters trying to graduate on time. And she doesn't deserve that."

The two boys stare at each other for a minute, sharing in a moment neither of them will speak of again. Then, they both wordlessly move to separate boxes and silently continue organizing.

Half an hour later, just as they are finishing the last box, the front door crashes open and in strolls a flurry of high heels and leather. Maya Hart has arrived. One eyebrow rises questioningly as she takes in the other occupants of the apartment. "Sup losers. You two finished or what?"

Josh composes himself quickly, surprise fading from his face as he grins and waves. "Heya Maya. What you doing here?"

"Meh, " she shrugs, purple leather jacket stretching slightly, "My mom needs some of the kitchen stuff here to make fritters or something. Figured I would come help. Plus," she grins, "some one need to do the heavy lifting if you wimps are the ones who have to carry these boxes." she gestures to the packed boxes by the door.

Her teasing spurs on Lucas who slides up to her, smirk on his face, twinkle in his eye. "You do know I used to carry hay bales on my uncle Busters ranch, right?"

Maya rises to the bait as expected, standing on tip toes and looking him straight in the eyes. "Is that a challenge Huckleberry?" she issues.

Lucas grins before plopping a box into her arms and smiling fully over it. "If that would make you feel better, ma'am." He tips an imaginary hat to her before picking up some boxes.

Maya's jaw clenches and her pupils dilate as she swiftly turns on her heel walking out the door, a staccato chorus of "ooohh's" following her. Lucas chases after her, stopping at the door briefly to turn to Josh. He gives the Matthew a single curt nod, a sign of understanding and solidarity before Maya can be heard shouting, "Come on Hopalong, we got to quickly mosey on down to Topanga's."

A smile blooms on Lucas' face as he walk out shouting after her, "You do realize 'mosey' means 'walk slowly', right?"

Josh Matthews just shakes his head and picks up the remaining box as he locks up the apartment. "Well, this will be interesting." he smiles.


End file.
